C1Q18 - full rewire

fastonebaz

So my dual humbucker (2 vol/2tone) equipped guitar (GS2 deluxe) comes with 250k pots and various caps.  After breaking the coil tap pots (due to over enthusiastic knob pulling) I decided to totally refit it with with 500k pots, 0.047 caps and the treble bleed mod.

I'm curious as to how it will sound after.

Previously I'd fitted a JB/59 set of SeyDuncs but they just sounded terrible, like a mic was hitting the peak limiter.  In my charvel the JB/59 sounds musical/sparkly/awesome.  Both guitars are same wood and similar body size but the charvel is all 500k pots etc.  I'm wondering if the cheap 250k pots and 0.022 caps were the cause.  The stock pickups sounds fine though.  

This is my 2nd go at a total rewire, so hopefully i get it right first time this time.  No matter what happens, at least I'll have fixed the broken pots.

fastonebaz

Hmmm.  Well, attempt 1 was frustrating.  I bought the fancy cts push pull pots @ICBM ; recommended (bit fiddly to solder but i did a nice job i thought).  Wired everything up. plugged in.  Nothing.  Not even any hum.  I thought I'd  followed the wiring diagrams of seymour duncun (2 hums 2 vol 2 tone with  a 3 way toggle) plus the cts coil tap plus a treble bleed on each vol pot.  Not sure what I've done wrong.   Can anyone hazard a guess from my sketch?

fastonebaz

fastonebaz

https://imgur.com/gallery/8qSnm

ICBM

Absolute silence is usually a sign that the output jack or its wiring is shorted. Anything else and you usually get at least some hum or noise, depending on switch/control settings.

fastonebaz

On the cts pots does it matter which pair i used eg C1+1  vs  C2+3?  I used C2+3

ICBM

It shouldn’t make any difference.

If you connect the guitar to the amp and touch the terminals on the pickup selector switch, do you get any hum/buzz?

fastonebaz

@icbm no nothing  when i touch any terminals on the selector switch.  Its like i haven't made a circuit . Does my diagram above make any sense?

ICBM

Check the jack and its wiring for shorts - and the switch, for the same reason. Total silence whatever you touch is the sign of a short to ground, not an open circuit.

Very rarely, cheap far-east jacks have been known to short internally, but hopefully you didn’t use one...

Yes, the diagram makes sense.

fastonebaz

Thanks. I did use come of that gibson braided/shielded wire for some of the connections. Maybe that outer metal braid is in contact with something it shouldn't and is shorting it all out.

fastonebaz

I replaced all the shielded/ braided Gibson type wire with the wax cloth covered wire and everything came to life.  Must've been shorting somewhere because of the braiding.   Seems to work and sound ok.  Have to wait til next rehearsal to try it full pelt though.